Kinsley's column, and the cynical and impotent attitude it represents, suggests that such an investigation, if it occurred, might still not be adequate to make a publicly acceptable fact out of what everyone now knows and accepts. The column bears the perfect headline "No Smoking Gun," which suggests that failing the discovery of a tape recording in which President Bush is quoted explicitly ordering then Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet that he should "fix the intelligence and facts around the policy," many will never regard the case as proved — though all the while accepting, of course, and admitting that they accept, that this is indeed what happened.
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Very true.
I find myself wondering about a few things these days, after finishing perhaps the millionth argument with a war supporter which, of late, moves predictably down the following path:
* war supporter: there were weapons, we had to act
* me: no. no there weren't.
* war supporter: yeah, that's true...but anyway, we freed a people and that was the right thing to do.
* me: large scale aerial bombings, the destruction of an entire city, deaths of civilians by 'errant bombs', mass detentions, random shootings by frightened US troopers and Iraqi National Guard, terrorist bombings, massive unemployment, sporadic power, overwhelmed health-care workers, barely functioning schools and never before seen levels of Jihadi action are not the ingredients of a good thing.
* war supporter: yeah. well, to tell you the truth, i don't really think about this too much now...i'm just focusing on my family.
Pro-war arguments retain their original shape -- WMDs, al Q connections, pre-emptive duty now for the potential threats of the future..., etc -- but, in all but the stupidest people (and in '05 we must be honest and declare that anyone who still believes these fantasies is not merely ideologically blinded, but simply dumb, regardless of their educational background, clean teeth, and language abilities) the constant hammering of revelations, scandals really, but without the expected consequential ooomph, has reduced that once raging fire.
So I'm wondering if maybe, just maybe, the reason these things that should be scandals aren't is because millions are nervous about seeing how far down the rabbit hole goes.
If, for example, you accept that the war was illegal, you must also accept that those deaths directly attributable to coalition action are not, as most politely say, 'accidents' but actually murders...since they needn't have happened at all.
Better to just let things slide away, let 'them' get away with it and take care of your personal concerns -- your so-complex-you-need Jordan, Loan Master, Hayes to-fill-out-the-forms-mortgage, your ailing parents, your quieter than a Pharaoh's tomb marriage, the dog's bad habits....
.d.
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